Mark Gerretsen says thousands of people use the causeway to get to and from downtown Kingston.
The LaSalle Causeway is needed to keep traffic flowing in Kingston.
That is what Kingston and Islands MP Mark Gerretsen is saying in response to a petition being circulated in the region.
The causeway is closed once a week between May and November to allow boats and other vessels to pass through the channel that connects the Cataraqui River and the Rideau Canal to Lake Ontario and the St. Lawrence River.
Gerretsen says that closure is causing inconvenience to the thousands of people who use the causeway to get to and from downtown Kingston.
The petition was driven by Leeds-Grenville-Thousand Islands-Rideau Lakes MPP Steve Clark. It calls on the federal government to install a structure that would allow all marine traffic to pass through the causeway.
Gerretsen says he understands the reasoning behind the petition.
But Gerretsen says the bridge is critical for those on land to get to their destinations.
He says the temporary bridge can't simply be removed at will.
The modular bridge was installed in April 2024 after the original structure was heavily damaged during restoration.
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